Tag Archive for 'internal change'

One hard thing

Published
by
Warwick
on April 23, 2009
in Health and Skills
. 0 Comments

This week my brother will be taking his blue belt test in tae kwon do - a Korean martial art which translates to “the art of kicking and punching”. Testing requires dedication over a period of time to learning and executing combinations of kicks and punches. WIth a full time job and other commitments, it is hard work to stay with the program.

Regardless of whether you are into martial arts or not, what is one hard thing that you can do to put your commitment to improvement to work.  Early morning jog, a promise to take a walk every day, signing up and attending the gym three times a week.

Perhaps it could be a promise to spend one hour a day with your children in totally focused quality time, or to turn off all electronic devices after 9pm (Ha! this is a hard one!).

Make a pledge to yourself to do one hard thing for the next 7 days.  Track your progress.  I am currently getting back into training again for triathlons and am (badly) out of shape. I know that if I rush back into training I will be more likely to injure myself or put too much pressure on my heart.  So I have committed to start very light daily exercise.  I have also committed to join the local gym (a big step for me) so that I can measure and monitor my training progress more precisely.

By completing your one hard thing, you are pushing your tolerance level to greater heights. This will in turn give you more confidence and inner strength in other areas of your life.  Enjoy the journey!

How can you become more creative? Try Improv!

Published
by
Warwick
on April 18, 2009
in Skills
. 0 Comments

A lot of people think they are either creative or not. My own experience of art class when I was in secondary school was not good. I labeled myself “uncreative” and kept myself in that box for many many years to come.

Only when I realised that creativity is defined in more than just artistic terms, did I fulfill my own creative potential.  I was able to become abundant with my unique talents. For me, abundance is the main purpose of creativity. How can we be more abundant?  Well by sharing our talents, experience and wisdom with the people around us for one. Another is to expand, grow and stretch our abilities! This is the hard part.

I enjoy stand-up comedy and spontaneous humour.  As a professional speaker and MC, I am known as very sharp in finding the humourous side of a situation. I enjoyed shows like Who’s line is it anyway? - a UK show on improvisational comedy that ran for 10 seasons in the UK and about 10 in the US.  The show format is based on a number of improvisational theater set pieces.  Add in competitive fun which was derived by Keith Johnstone (another Englishman) in the 1970s Theatresports.

I have hosted stand-up nights and guest improv troupes (Baby Wants Candy) over the last two years,  and enjoyed the shows tremendously. After thinking about hosting an improv night in Shanghai for a long time, I finally took the plunge.  I want to create a show that mixes local and international talent and offers opportunities to learn about the essentials of improv: acceptance and creativity.

After every rehearsal and show, I feel different. I see the funnier side of life - even in the crush of Shanghai traffic. I can riff off situations and turn them into more humourous outcomes. I feel more in the flow.  Improv can really help build up some powerful soft skills:  working with a team, listening, creative and strategic thinking and  the basic performance skills of voice, body gestures and character-playing.

We all know the expression “feel the fear and do it anyway”. Recently, I have become convinced that our greatest success lies in the things we run away from. Improv is a stretch, it can be scary but it really makes me feel more creative.

To see more about Improv China. See their Facebook group. Or web site.

What to do when you are stuck in a rut

Published
by
Warwick
on April 15, 2009
in Health and Skills
. 0 Comments

Even the most successful people get stuck in a rut.  Your motivation and energy levels drop. You allow negative emotions to seep into your life. Your temper becomes shorter. You can’t see the point of life. And so on.

So what can you do to get out of your rut?

The key to making a change in your life is.. to make a change in your life. Break your routine. Take a new route to work in the morning. Travel on the subway or take a taxi if you usually drive.  Do something different. Take a walk after work instead of going to the bar. Take the family out to dinner if you usually eat at home. Buy your loved one a small gift. The purpose here is to break the routine, the monotony of your current routine which is not serving you.

Speed up or slow down.  If you are slipping into a depressed state of mind, you may notice that your energy levels drop. You watch TV more, you go to bed earlier and sleep longer. Speed things up. Take some exercise in the morning or after work. Have 15 minute bursts of activity around the house - perhaps clean up a pile of papers, sort through old magazines or clean the garage.

If you are feeling burned out, slow down. Spend 10 minutes each day in silence. Pray or meditate or simply think about your goals. Reduce your inputs. Turn your mobile phone to vibrate and turn off your computer’s email alert. Put your calls through to voice mail.  Insert these 10 minute breaks into your day until you feel calmer and more in control.

Start with your head. Dream about a wonderful place you would like to be now. Fill your mind with these beautiful images rather than negative emotions. Take out your year planner and pencil in a get-away week where you will be able to take a full break to recharge, rest and recover.  By creating this destination, you have made a roadmap for yourself and given yourself a way to get out of your current rut.

Getting stuck in a rut is only a temporary blip for a Change Catalyst.  Keep future and goal focused and progress- however small - will start to move you forward.  I am available to coach you through life’s obstacles. Contact me whenever you help out of your rut.

How do I find out what motivates me?

Published
by
Warwick
on February 11, 2009
in Skills
. 0 Comments

One of the keys to a life full of energy and achievement (however you define that) is to stay motivated. Which is difficult. In 2008, I suffered from two massive asthma attacks brought on by environmental factors (pollution, massive construction in the city I live) and due to personal circumstances moved six times in the space of 12 months. I also had a wedding ceremony to plan, bought a new apartment and authored my first book.

By my own standards (and that is the only way to judge), this was an intense year physically, mentally and emotionally. Things worked out well in the end, because I kept focused on my purpose statement

Be the catalyst to help you unblock the {communication} obstacles that are stopping you from sharing your unique talents with the world.

I use my purpose statement to keep me motivated through tough (and good) times.  I pause and ask myself how what I am currently working on, or experiencing, will help me be a catalyst to help people to unblock their obstacles.  It takes me out of the pressures of the now and elevates me to a better place where I can “see” the point of today’s hustle and bustle.  Living in the now is a good idea most of the time, but projecting into the future can help you through difficult times.

How can I find what motivates me?

The key to staying motivated is to understand and align your values with your objectives. Sounds simple right? But many people have no idea what their values are. We didn’t take a class in this at school, and I don’t remember there being a major in “Life Values” when I was graduating from university. Your employer may not have much interest in helping you align your life values in case you leave (although this is changing).  A quick and simple way to find your values is to stop and think about your childhood. What? Yes, that’s right, start thinking about the activities you did as a child that you loved to do.

When I did this exercise I remembered that I loved cycling down to the park with my cousins and spending the whole day riding around creating elaborate role-playing fantasy stories interrupted with long football games. Now this doesn’t mean that I went off and did the same thing as an adult but it reminded me that I hadn’t been on a bicycle in many years. This led me to look into finding a bike club which led me to competing in triathlons which led me to become a vegetarian. Which led me to meet a whole new group of cool people and see new places while taking part in triathlons.

What were you doing as a child, that if you reinvented it to fit in your life today, would make you happier? Spend a few minutes to write down a list. You may need to ask your parents to help you remember. It’s a fun way to spend some time and will help you get in touch with some of those long lost motivators. Enjoy it!

Are you reacting to change or driving your own change?

Published
by
Warwick
on February 9, 2009
in Health, Skills and Wealth
. 0 Comments

I spent a wonderful couple of weeks in Bali relaxing after an intense year. It was great to escape the computer and all the doom-and-gloom news. All this talk of bailouts of companies and industries led me to think how effective they would be. In my experience, internal change is much more effective than externally-driven change.

Think back to when you were a child. Was there ever a time when your parents tried to “force” change upon you before you were ready for it?  I remember sitting for hours as I refused to finish my gammon and potatoes, and no amount of threats or guilt about the starving children in Africa made me eat any faster.  I just didn’t want to eat them. The fact that I am a vegetarian now may explain why.

Visit a supermarket at the weekend and you will see and hear the clashes of externally-driven change among the shopping aisles. Children screaming and kicking and shouting at their parents, who are often shouting back. It’s a sorry scene (I hope your local supermarket is not as bad as mine!) but there is a deeper lesson here for us all.  How can we make positive change effective?

Reacting to change

This is the form of change we have grown up with. Your parents telling you to clean your room, do your homework and you reluctantly and begrudgingly obliging. It’s slow and painful for all. And, the minute the stimulus disappears so does the action. The change is only successful as long as someone is standing over us and threatening us.  This could explain why many people never reach their goals and dreams. Once you leave full time education with no more exams, there are no more goals imposed upon you to achieve beyond finding and turning up for a job on time and achieving a minimum level of performance so that you don’t get fired. This is not a great way to live but many people find themselves in this trap. So how can you become a driver of your own life?

Find your motivators

What gets you going? What gives you energy? What do you need to do so that you look at the world with rose-tinted glasses and can only see optimism in your future.  For many, exercise at the gym or playing football with friends gives them that connection. For others reading a good book in a comfortable coffee shop will do it. Or perhaps a drive into the countryside or trip to the beach will arouse good feelings.

If you had a totally free 48 hours that you could fill with all the enjoyable activities and fun things, what would those 48 hours look like? Have a balance of physical, mental, solo and group activities.  Make a perfect weekend for yourself.  Look at your calendar and make a commitment that three months from today you will enjoy a weekend as close to your perfect weekend as you can. Put it in your calendar. Block out the time. Make it happen. By taking a time three months from now it is highly likely that you have free time.

Mini-refreshers

Find pockets of time in your weekly schedule to refresh yourself.  Book a couple of sessions at the gym during lunch. Take Sunday morning to get back in touch with your family life. Take only an hour or two and be fully present to enjoy them.

If you are stuck in a rut and would like to get out and live a life of passion through better health, more wealth and greater contribution, we can help. Contact The Change Catalyst for an initial complimentary coaching session.